


Beastly

by AussieHighlandLass



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Beast Hank McCoy, Claiming Bites, Dom/sub, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Feral Behavior, Hank McCoy is So Done, I Tried, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Light BDSM, Loss of Control, Mates, Mating Bites, Mutant Politics, Mutants, Past Relationship(s), Past Torture, Past Violence, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Politics, Protective Tony Stark, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:01:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24695695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AussieHighlandLass/pseuds/AussieHighlandLass
Summary: The adventures of Laura Stark as she battles 'Gods', Robots, Old flames and friends, a childish nephew, and the one who fate decided completes her. Yup, just the day in the life of the poor doctor.Also posted on fanfiction.net
Relationships: Carol Danvers/Natasha Romanov, Hank McCoy/Original Female Character, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Wanda Maximoff/Vision, past James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Female Character(s), past Logan/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	Beastly

**Author's Note:**

> I've always wanted to do a crossover before and this one has always been one I want to write. I'm a huge fan of Hank McCoy (Kelsey Grammer) and this story was born from that. This is a crossover of Avengers and X-Men. I am currently also writing two prequels but they won't effect this story in the slightest which is why this is being posted first. This story is rated M for a reason; there will be violence and sex. I am hoping to get all the way to endgame and see how my OC might effect that so we'll see.

Laura Stark could think of several different things she would happily rather be doing than attending some gala in Stuttgart, Germany. Unfortunately, for her, she and her nephew happened to have been invited and since Tony had refused to come, Pepper had told Laura she would have no other choice but to do so instead. Laura had refused to talk to Tony in the weeks leading up to the event and had yet to speak to her nephew. She had long since forgiven him but watching Tony grovel for her forgiveness had always been a favourite pastime of hers; as it had been with his father before him.

She checked herself over in the lavish bathroom where she had slunk off to in order to escape a particularly grabby tycoon who though his money was enough to make her ignore the fact he was old enough to be her father; physically anyway. Laura had looked for any excuse to politely pardon herself from his company and had found it in the form of his very opinionated third ex-wife.

Laura gazed at her reflection in the mirror, smiling at the sight before her. The scarlet dress was made from awfully expensive silk, with a cluster of gold jewels on the left side to help cinch the dress in at her waist. She was sure her nephew had a say in the coloring as it practically screamed that she knew 'Iron Man'. However, she was positive that it was Pepper who had decided on exactly what the dress would look like. It hugged her every curve, and she had plenty of those, until it reached mid-thigh, then it flared out and fell softly to the ground. The sleeves were long, reaching her wrists and the back was buttoned at the back of her neck to join two pieces of fabric whilst still showing off her slender back.

Pepper had convinced her to partner the dress with gold stilettos and a gold, diamante clutch that currently housed her Stark phone, her Bluetooth, and the special bracelets her nephew insisted she take everywhere with her. Her mahogany hair had been brushed and tugged into an intricate knot at the base of her neck, a few tendrils left out here and there that had been curled. She had kept her makeup as neutral as possible, not seeing the need to over accentuate on her makeup.

Her eyes drifted to her wrist where her soulmate's names usually was and frowned. She really did hate covering it up but knew it was for the best whenever there was a chance of the paparazzi being present. Even if she hadn't met the owner of the name yet, she knew enough about him to know that it could be dangerous if it was learnt that she was his mate.

Shaking her head, Laura turned back to her reflection. She looked amazing tonight, and she couldn't help but love what she saw. Laura wasn't as narcissistic as her dear older brother had been or as her nephew was; however, she also knew that she was a beautiful woman. Usually she wasn't a fancy dress kind of girl; more comfortable wearing a pair of jeans, plain tank top, and her comfiest pair of ankle boots. Her hair was usually thrown up in a lazy bun and she never really bothered to put makeup on unless she had a meeting to attend.

She took in a deep breath before she exited the bathroom.

And ran straight into a firm body.

"Sorry," she mumbled, crouching to pick up the clutch that had fallen from her hands when she had walked into whoever she had. Her hand wrapped around the expensive looking cane, watching curiously as the blue tip seemed to glow before she shook her head and stood up again.

"Here," she said, holding the cane out and finally looking up at the person she had walked into. He was the epitome of handsome. Shoulder length black hair, high cheekbones, piercing blue eyes, strong jaw, and an aura that just radiated power and danger. It made her instincts react and Laura could barely keep herself from snarling at the man, her hackles raising.

He was looking at her strangely, his eyes darting from her face to his cane and back to her face again before he reached out for it. His long fingers somewhat overlapped her own as he did and Laura had to resist the urge to pull her hand back as if she had been burned. Her instincts didn't like her being this close to the man and were screaming at her to get away from him or remove the threat completely. Her eyes remained on his the whole time though, refusing to flinch at the ice she saw in his gaze.

She watched as he took a step closer, his body towering over her smaller frame as he tried to intimidate her. It wouldn't work. She had met men far scarier than him. Slowly, he retracted his arm, her fingers falling away from the cane as he pulled it back towards himself. He still didn't speak and Laura resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the man. Without another word to him, she turned and made her way back into the main room where the party was being held.

Laura had spent most of the night perusing the edge of the room, keeping her eyes out for the men and women who seemed glued to their cameras so that she could avoid them at all costs. She had already been swamped by the paparazzi and wished to avoid any more incidents.

Deciding that she had had enough socialization for the night, but knowing she couldn't leave yet either, Laura made her way through the crowd before she began ascending the stairs; holding her dress in her hand to prevent herself from tripping.

She was at the top of the stairs and turned right before she stumbled slightly as she bumped shoulders with someone. Laura looked up, an apology on the tip of her tongue when she spotted the very man she had run into earlier. She forced a smile at him even as he frowned down at her. "Sorry about that," she told him softly, "I promise I'm not intentionally running into you."

"Perhaps you should watch where you're going then," he replied, his voice deep and silky. The sound made Laura want to shiver. The sound, whilst seductive as hell, made her think about carefully hidden poison; his voice was smooth and sounded as if it were concealing just how dangerous this man was.

However, none of that meant anything as her temper rose to the forefront of her emotions at the words he had spoken. She had apologized, what more could he possibly want? With a huff, Laura turned away and made her way down the hall without looking back. Had she looked back, Laura would have seen the man throw her a half curious, half offended look; a delicate eyebrow raised before he shook his head and made his way down the stairs, swinging his decorative cane as he did so.

Laura moved down a small hall and stopped in the middle of the small space, looking at a painting of a bowl of fruit.

Opening her clutch, Laura pulled out the Bluetooth device and placed it in her ear before she fished out her phone and pressed speed dial.

"I was wondering when you might call me; how's the party?" Pepper's voice rang out in her ear.

"I've been groped six times and the majority of the women here are more eager to find out if my nephew is really in a relationship with Pepper Potts," she answered with a heavy sigh, "I swear if I have to talk to another one of his ex-floozies, I'm going to jump off the damn building, Pep. They seem to think that opening their legs to him will get him to want them more than you; why can't they see you're the best thing that's ever happened to my stubborn nephew. Not to mention, you've both finally consummated the bond; you're practically married now. They're just a bunch of home wreckers."

"It's only one night, Laura," Pepper sighed and Maggie could hear the frustration in the younger woman's voice. She knew the frustration was for _her_ and what she was being forced to deal with but it still made Laura feel bad that she had ruined Pepper's mood.

"I kno..." she trailed off, hearing the frightened screams of the occupants down stairs. "Something's wrong," she told the younger woman as she hurriedly made her way back to the main room, "I've gotta go." She hung up before Pepper could reply as she hurriedly descended the stairs, almost tripping over her heels as she did so.

Her body immediately stiffened at the sight of the man she had run into twice that night standing over the host who wasn't moving and seemed to be dead. Everyone was screaming and running for the exit and Laura was immediately jostled by the ensuing chaos the moment she stepped off the stairs. A calloused hand grabbed her arm tightly and she looked up to see a man glowering at her; he obviously wasn't security or any member of the party if his military attire was anything to go by.

"You're coming with me," he hissed at her before he stumbled back with a pained cry as Laura's claws cut across his face. He recovered pretty quickly reaching for his gun. He didn't get a chance to unholster it, however, before Laura kicked him in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground in an ungraceful heap.

"Asshole," she sneered before she kicked off her overly priced shoes and ran from the room; the streets were as chaotic as the room had been and Laura felt her claustrophobia setting in as she found herself in the middle of the abundant crowd. An older man beside her must have seen the anxiety on her face and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked her kindly, his own fear evident in his voice and scent.

"I'm f-fine," she stuttered, feeling her claws retract as she looked around, "what's happening?"

The man shook his head, "I'm not sure."

Laura looked up at the sounds of approaching police cars before her gaze moved in time to see the man from earlier, now dressed in gold and green armor with a ridiculous helmet, send a blast at the police cars. She eyed his scepter curiously as the elderly man covered her body, her ears ringing from the explosion and the screaming crowd.

"Kneel before me," the man said, his arms held out wide as he smirked down at everyone huddled in the street. She looked around and her eyes widened as she saw more of the same man; her eyes narrowed as she watched them flicker a little, all but the man on the stairs. "I said," he began, his smirk turning into a sneer as he screamed, "KNEEL!"

Laura helped the man to the ground as she reached for her clutch, pulling out her bracelets and putting them on her wrists as the man continued to talk.

"Is this not simpler?" the man asked, "is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."

Laura felt the elderly man stand up and turned to ask him not to do anything foolish but it was too late. "Not to men like you," he said, clearly and bravely; his eyes defiant as he stared down the powerful man.

She could practically _feel_ the man smirking as he replied. "There are no men like me," he stated proudly, his tone smug.

"There are always men like you," the man argued.

Laura pushed the little red jewels on either bracelet.

"Look to your elder, people," he said quietly, "let him be an example."

She knew it was now or never and taking a steadying breath, Laura sprung to her feet.

* * *

Loki looked down at the _suit_ in distaste. Even if it looked like something befitting an Asgardian prince, he detested having to blend in with these Midgardian peasants. They couldn't possibly grasp just how pathetic their lives were and he couldn't wait to show them just how blind they had been about their lives and their _freedom_.

He had been making his way around the room, bidding his time until Barton was in place so he could make his move for the eye, when a door opened and a small body ran into him; knocking the disguised scepter from his hand. "Sorry," came the mumbled words of the small female before she was crouching to pick up her little bag that had fallen from her hands when she had walked into him. He sneered down at her, only seeing the muddy brown hair as her hand wrapped around the scepter.

He watched as she got to her feet. Her head raised and his blue eyes were met with eyes that looked just as muddy as her hair.

"Here," she said, holding the 'cane' out for him.

He took a step closer, wanting to show her that he was the one that held all of the power in this situation but the woman barely seemed phased by his close presence. She merely met his gaze unflinchingly before, without another word to him, she turned and made her way back into the main room where the party was being held.

Loki continued on with his evening; though, his mood had been thoroughly soured by the woman who thought she could so simply brush him off.

It was later in the night when he found himself walking down the long hall heading towards the stairs and had just reached it when a small woman bumped into him. He glared down at her, only spying the muddy brown hair. It was enough for him to realise who it was that had walked into him and Loki once more found himself annoyed and intrigued.

She smiled at him even as he frowned down at her. "Sorry about that," she told him softly, "I promise I'm not intentionally running into you."

"Perhaps you should watch where you're going then," he replied, unable and unwilling to keep his displeasure from his reply.

The woman simply glared at him before she turned and continued her way down the hall, leaving him to stare after here with a half curious, half offended look no doubt on his face; before he could think further on it he shook his head and made his way down the stairs, swinging his decorative cane as he did so.

"The moment a woman wearing a scarlet dress comes down those stairs I want her brought to me," he informed the first man he saw that was now working for him.

The man merely nodded and moved away from him.

Even in the streets, Loki saw no sign of the woman from earlier and he began to feel frustrated by this. His focus soon moved to the kneeling crowd; or, more to the point, the man _not_ kneeling. The elderly man looked at Loki with contempt and defiance and it was admirable but foolish.

"Not to men like you," the man told him and Loki's amusement only grew. If only he knew.

"There are no men like me," he told the man, his smirk widening at the truth and the lie in his statement. Sure, there were men like him, but none on Midgard.

"There are always men like you," he argued back and Loki's patience was wearing thin. He would need to make an example of this man and show the rest of these mortals that he was not a man to be trifled with. He was powerful. He was immortal. He. Was. A. God. And they would bow to his will or they would perish by his hand.

"Look to you elder, people," he instructed, taking a single step forward as he pointed his staff at the man, "let him be an example."

Before he could carry out the man's execution, the woman from earlier was jumping in front of the older man with her hands raised moments before Loki felt something hit him in the stomach and knock the wind out of him. He looked up to see the woman wearing some kind of red and gold gauntlets that were glowing from the circles in the middle of them. Loki realised that she had sent some kind of blast at him and met her glare with one of his own. "I don't know about where you come from," she said, her voice a low growl that sounded as feral as her eyes now looked, "but around here we're taught to respect our elders."

"You dare threaten me?" he asked, anger and intrigue warring inside of him as he looked into her cold, steely eyes.

"I've hardly threatened you," she answered, "merely stopped you from hurting an innocent man simply because he refused to give in to a terrorist."

"Then perhaps you shall be a better example," he replied as he raised his scepter and fired, only for her to run forward at an unnatural speed, dodging the blast. He swung the sharp tip of his staff at her but she moved swiftly, her reflexes impressive as she gracefully ducked again and the blade cut through the air above her body.

She was up a moment later, sending one red gauntlet into his face and making him stumble back at the force behind her hit. His narrowed eyes met her own before he sent another blast at her. Again, she dodged the blast, her hair falling free of her knot to fall around her waist as she turned to face him once more.

She growled before she ran forward, she raised her fist to hit him again and Loki blocked the punch only for her head to come forward and connect with his chin.

He stumbled back, more from shock than pain, and quickly jumped back to avoid a swipe of her almost feline-like claws; the gauntlets nowhere to be seen. Her eyes had changed, a yellow tint to them, her pupils slitted and her teeth slightly elongated. "Interesting," he muttered, "but it will take more than a few parlor tricks to defeat me."

"Oh, we're just getting started," she grinned ferally before she rushed forward again. Every one of her blows had more power behind it than the last and Loki found himself having to go on the defensive to keep her from landing a blow.

He managed to catch her with the tip of his staff, the sharpened blade cutting through the fabric of her dress and leaving one of her shoulders bare. There was a cut along her shoulder and he watched her stop to look at the bleeding cut that would no doubt need stitches before she looked up and glared at him. "Really?" she growled, swinging at him with renewed vigor, "do you have any idea how much this dress cost?" she continued as she slashed at him, forcing him to take steps back to prevent himself from being caught by her razor sharp claws. She feigned another slash before she dropped into a crouch and swept his legs out from underneath him.

Loki felt his own growl bubbling in his chest at the woman's audacity and quickly got to his feet. Without much thought to the fact she was indeed a woman, he curled his hand into a fist and sent it to meet her jaw. It was such a barbaric way to fight but she had made him more angry than he had felt in a long time. She stumbled back but managed to keep her footing and didn't even make a sound of pain as she looked up at him, her lip busted and bleeding.

He was surprised to see her grinning as her tongue darted out of her mouth to swipe at the cut moments before it healed. What in the Nine Realms was this woman? "Gotta tell you," she began, her claws retracted now as she sauntered forward, "it's been a while since someone's made me bleed. You get points for that."

"What are you?" he asked, his tone of voice telling her he expected an answer; demanded it really. His eyes darted to her shoulder and saw that the cut that had been there was nothing more than a pale scar now. Her healing ability wasn't natural; then again, nor were her reflexes and strength.

"Can't say," she sing-songed, "after all, where's the fun in that?"

"You may be impervious to my attacks," he growled, his patience completely dwindled and his anger at all knew heights, "but are they?" he continued as he held his staff towards the old man still standing amongst the crowd. He fired before she could make a move forward. Unfortunately, his actions were once again foiled by the soldier himself.

_This is getting tiresome,_ he thought to himself as the air shifted behind him.

* * *

Steve looked down on the scene before him with a speculative gaze. He had been expecting the scepter wielding maniac; S.H.I.E.L.D had already informed him of what to expect there. Well, mostly what to expect. What he hadn't been expecting, nor had Romanoff been expecting if the surprised and worried look on her usually expressionless face was anything to go by, was the woman currently locked in a battle of wills and fists with Loki. A woman who just so happened to be wearing Stark tech from what he could see.

"Do we know who she is?" he asked Romanoff who didn't appear to hear him as she stared down at the scene below them.

" _ **Fury, why the hell is Doctor Stark here?**_ " he heard her growl into her comms unit.

Steve didn't know what surprised him more; the fact that Romanoff knew the woman or the fact that she had called her Doctor Stark. He hadn't been aware that Howard had had a daughter. From what he had read of Laura's file, she had never had children or grandchildren, so he doubted the woman was his old friends child.

" _ **From what we can gather, she was attending the gala after Stark refused to go,**_ " came Fury's voice over the comms in his ear.

That didn't seem to surprise Romanoff, or Steve for that matter, as the redheaded pilot rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

The fight seemed to be going in the woman's favor until it suddenly… wasn't. Loki landed a punch to the woman's face and that was when Steve decided it was time to interrupt the fight going on between the two individuals below.

His timing was apparently spot on, because he landed in time to block an energy blast from hitting an elderly man who had refused to bow to Loki like he had ordered. He had angled his shield in a way that the beam of light bounced off of it and knocked Loki down. Unfortunately, the woman had been moving towards the man as if to attack him once more and the blast sent her flying back and into a stone statue not far behind her. Steve watched as her head hit the stone, hearing the _crack_ from where he stood before her limp body hit the ground.

He didn't have time to worry about the obviously injured woman as he turned his attention back to Loki. "You know," he began, his eyes narrowed, "the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everyone else, we ended up disagreeing."

"The soldier," Loki mocked as he got back to his feet, a smirk on his face as his eyes quickly darted to the unconscious woman, "a man out of time."

"I'm not the one out of time," he commented as Natasha swung the Quinjet around, a machine gun pointed at Loki.

"Loki, drop the weapon and stand down."

Natasha's order only seemed to piss him off and Steve watched as Loki sent a blast of blue energy at the Quinjet. Natasha managed to maneuver away from the blast and Steve used the distraction to throw his shield at Loki. He ran forward, engaging Loki in combat but even with his training and the Super Soldier Serum running through his veins, Steve was soon overpowered by Loki.

"Kneel," Loki ordered him moments before he was suddenly tackled to the ground by a blur of red.

Steve jumped to his feet and felt his eyes widen at the sight of the woman from earlier standing off with Loki. She shouldn't have even been awake let alone steady on her feet and squaring off with someone as dangerous as the man who was currently glaring at her.

"I grow tired of your constant interruptions, _girl_ ," he heard Loki hiss at the woman as he raised his scepter and fired an energy blast at her.

Steve was too far away to help her but apparently his concern was unwarranted as she dodged the blast effortlessly. "Good," she replied, "hate to break it to you, but you're kinda being a dick. Someone's gotta put you in your place…"

"…and you think _you're_ the one to do it?" Loki replied with a derogatory scoff, "you've no idea who stands before you, Midgardian."

"Mid-what-ian?" he heard her question before she shook her head, "never mind that, how about we skip the chit chat and move straight on to me kicking your ass? Sound good?"

Steve saw Loki's hand tighten on his scepter just as loud music pierced the air moments before Tony Stark arrived, decked out in full Iron Man gear, and blasted Loki to the ground. There was a tense pause as Iron Man touched down in front of the woman before he aimed every available weapon, which was far more than Steve believed was necessary, at the man on the ground.

"Just give me a reason, Reindeer Games," Tony said and Steve couldn't believe how serious the man sounded. From what he had read, Tony rarely, if ever, took anything seriously. Then again, Loki had just tried to kill his sister; Steve would have been furious had their positions been reversed. He watched Tony turn his helmet to look at the frightened woman who seemed to be fighting to keep her tears at bay. "You okay, old mum?" he heard him ask softly.

"Just peachy," Steve heard the woman reply.

She didn't take her eyes off of Loki even as Steve put him in restraints and loaded him onto the Quinjet. Tony walked on just behind him and Steve wasn't surprised to see the woman following closely behind him. His eyes landed on her face and Steve felt all the air leave his lungs. "Laura?" he whispered, his eyes rapidly flicking over his old friends ageless face.

"Hey, Steve," she smiled softly, "long time, no see."

"How?" he said, feeling his throat clog with emotions.

"It's a long story," she replied simply, "one best discussed in private."

Her eyes moved to Loki who had yet to be seated and was standing beside her. Steve watched as she took one look at the smirking 'God' before reeling her fist back and bringing it into the man's nose. Loki gave a startled cry before he pulled away. Everyone had heard the sickening _crunch_ and the heavy bleeding indicated that she had managed to break his nose. Loki seemed surprised by this before his gaze turned deadly and Steve hurried to move his smirking friend to the opposite side of the Quinjet before he made his way to the front of the aircraft and stood behind Natasha who he could clearly see was smirking.

"It's always a pleasure when you're around, Laura," was all she said before she took off and Steve could barely resist the urge to rub the bridge of his nose and sigh.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Laura knew she had a lot of explaining to do when it came to Steve. Though, in her defense, she was just as surprised to see an old war time buddy who looked like he hadn't aged a day. More so, when said 'buddy' had sacrificed himself to save thousands. She had searched everywhere for him with Howard and Peggy but as the decade after the war continued, Laura had forced herself to move on and realise that her friend was lost to her.

She didn't know what she was going to tell Steve or how she was going to explain to him just what she was. She _did_ know that breaking Loki's nose had been _very_ satisfying. He'd seemed surprised and she had relished in the look of disbelief she had seen in his eyes before they had glazed over with murderous intent. Honestly, she had been disappointed when Steve had moved her away from the man; she was eager for him to try and attack her so she had a legitimate reason to knock out a few of his teeth. Violent? Maybe; but this asshole had it coming.

Which was why she was taking deep, even breaths right now; her back straight and her eyes closed as she attempted to meditate with the rapidly approaching storm. She could hear the thunder and smell the electricity on the air that always seemed to come before lightning. Her ears perked as she listened for everything around her. She could hear Nat talking to someone but could only hear one side of the conversation and could safely assume she was communicating with Fury. She wondered how her Director was going to react to her presence; though, she doubted he was surprised. Laura just had a way of finding dangerous situations.

Tony was tapping his metal covered finger against his metal covered thigh and the sound was driving Laura crazy even as she tried to block it out. Instead, she focused on Steve and the steady breaths he was taking; every now and then, his breathing would hitch slightly but it wasn't anything dramatic so she ignored it.

Loki was still glaring at her. She could practically _feel_ him trying to mentally kill her from across the aircraft and she opened her eyes so their gazes met as she smirked. He still had blood on his face though his nose had stopped bleeding and the blood seemed to be rapidly drying. It was a shame really, she had hoped the damage was more extensive. Oh well, she had a feeling she'd get another chance in the future and she'd make sure it'd hurt… _a lot_.

She looked up at the sound of her name and quickly caught the comm. link Natasha threw her way. One look from her redheaded friend told her that Fury wanted to talk to her and he probably wasn't impressed. She placed the little device in her ear and leaned back against the wall behind her.

" _ **Now, before you go telling me off, let me remind you that I was at that gala for purely innocent reasons,**_ " she said quickly, wanting to diffuse the tension as soon as possible, " _ **and it's not my fault that trouble just happened to find me tonight.**_ "

" _ **What happened tonight, Doctor Stark?**_ " Fury asked her with a heavy sigh.

" _ **Well, I was attending the gala because my nephew was too lazy to do so himself,**_ " Laura began, ignoring Tony's protests as she explained the events of the night. " _ **Wanna catch me up on everything that's going on? I was literally gone for two weeks and suddenly some asshole with a superiority complex is trying to cause mass panic,**_ " she asked when she was done with her explanation.

Laura ignored the glare being sent her way as she waited for Fury to reply. " _ **Our base was attacked two days ago. Loki, the one you were fighting, stole the Tesseract and managed to somehow control Barton and Selvig. We have no idea what they're planning on using the Tesseract for but we plan to stop them before they get that far.**_ "

" _ **Why wasn't I called in earlier?**_ " she asked with a frown, " _ **if Barton and Selvig have been compromised, having my knowledge and medical skills will be useful when we get them back.**_ "

" _ **You were on vacation,**_ " Fury began only to be cut off by Laura.

" _ **The safety and wellbeing of my friends is far more important to me than my vacation hours, Nick**_ ," she scolded, " _ **I should have been informed the moment all of this happened. I may be employed in S.H.I.E.L.D as a doctor but don't forget that I am one of the original founders of the organization. I want to be kept informed about the condition of our agents so I know when I'll be needed to help them.**_

" _ **I expect to be completely briefed when I get back to base,**_ " she informed Fury before she removed the comm. link from her ear and placed it beside her before she sighed heavily. Laura could feel the mother of all headaches coming on and knew she would be paying a visit to the med bay once they got to the helicarrier.

"I don't like it," she heard Steve whisper to Tony.

"What? Rock of Ages giving up so easily?"

"I don't remember it being ever that easy," Steve whispered back, both men unaware that, judging by the barely hidden smirk on Loki's face, he could hear them even with how quiet they thought they were being. "This guy packs a wallop," he finished.

Tony shrugged, the action looking ridiculous in the hot red suit of armour he was wearing. "Still," he began and Laura could easily detect the mocking lilt in her nephew's voice, "you are pretty spry, for an older fellow. What's your thing? Pilates?"

Laura snorted at the mental picture of Steve in a pair of blue yoga pants as he did something as mundane a Pilates. Her snort was quiet enough not to alert the two men but Nat heard her clear as day. She watched as the younger woman tilted her head to the side and smirked softly before she shook her head and went back to focusing on piloting the plane.

"What?" Steve asked, sounding extremely confused and it only served to increase her own amusement.

"It's like calisthenics. You might have missed a couple things, you know, doing time as a Capsicle," Tony replied and Laura wanted to slap her nephew for his insensitive comment; though, she supposed she shouldn't expect anything less from Howard Stark's son.

This seemed to set Steve off and Laura cocked her head curiously as she continued to listen in on them.

"Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in," Steve replied, straightening so he stood at his full height.

"Yeah, there's a lot Fury doesn't tell you," Tony replied smugly.

Laura rolled her eyes at the two men, "I'm sure this testosterone filled pissing contest would go a lot faster if the two of you just whipped 'em out and measured 'em here and now."

"Oh, she's got jokes," came Tony's unimpressed yet equally amused voice and Laura simply shrugged and smirked at her nephew who rolled his eyes at her.

She was sure he was going to say something back to her but a roar of thunder filled the air moments before the taste of electricity invade her mouth and the jet began to shake violently. Laura looked back towards the front of the jet and studied the rapidly forming storm outside. Her eyes narrowed as the lightning flashed brilliantly, making her eyes sting before she blinked away the pain.

"Where's this coming from?" she heard Natasha ask no one in particular before her eyes moved to Loki who was staring intently out of the window behind her.

"What's the matter?" Steve mocked, "scared of a little lightning?"

Laura smirked as Loki looked back to the man. "I'm not overly fond of what follows," he replied calmly, though Laura didn't miss the small bit of apprehension that flashed in his eyes for a moment before it disappeared.

The ramp of the jet suddenly opened and a large man with blonde hair and a massive hammer walked onto the jet and straight for Loki. He grabbed him by the throat before he flew from the jet and Laura looked at where they had once been with a curiously raised eyebrow. After a moment, she shrugged and turned towards a dumbstruck Tony and Steve. "Are you guys gonna go get him, or should I?" she asked, smirking softly as their heads snapped to her before Tony was putting his helmet on.

"Now, there's that guy," he sighed and Laura frowned.

"Another Asgardian?" Natasha asked as she looked over her shoulder at them all.

"Think the guy's a friendly?" Steve questioned.

"Doesn't matter," Tony replied, "if he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract's lost."

Tony turned and looked like he was preparing to jump out of the jet when Steve spoke up from behind him. "Stark, we need a plan of attack!" he said sternly.

"I have a plan," Tony informed him, "attack."

Laura rolled her eyes as she watched him jump out of the jet before she looked to see Steve preparing to do the same thing. "Honestly," she said out loud, "he's just like his father sometimes."

"I'd sit this one out, Cap," Natasha interjected.

"I don't see how I can," Steve replied.

"These guys come from legends, they're basically gods," she argued and Laura once again placed the back of her head against the wall of the jet as she listened to them. The exhaustion was increasing and she could feel her body screaming at her to close her eyes and let it rest.

"There's only one God, ma'am. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that," Captain America replied before he too jumped out of the plane.

"I suppose I should go make sure they…" Laura was cut off by the shrill ring of her phone. She pulled out her Bluetooth and placed it in her ear before answering her phone. " **Doctor Stark** ," she said as greeting.

" _ **Hello, Laura, it's been a while**_ **,** " came a familiar voice that brought a soft smile to her lips.

" _ **It has**_ **,** " she answered, " _ **twelve years, I believe. What have you been doing with yourself, Charles?**_ "

" _ **The same as I'm always doing**_ **,** " he answered with a chuckle.

Laura's smile widened before it fell, " _ **I doubt you contacted me after twelve years just to say hello, Charles. What is it?**_ "

" _ **I could use your help for a seek and retrieve mission,**_ " he sighed, " _ **I am tracking down a feral who seems to be very proficient at avoiding me and anyone else I send after him.**_ "

" _ **And you need another feral to find this one,**_ " she added carefully.

" _ **Not quite. I have Logan tracking him but he has history with the one I'm tracking and it's proving problematic. I need an outsider to help track him down and bring him to the school so we can make sure he's okay; he's a close friend of mine and I don't wish to see him harmed.**_ "

" _ **Is this a priority? I've just been added to a mission that could threaten the world and I don't think I should pull myself away from it incase my mutation comes in handy.**_ "

She could hear Charles talking to someone in the background before his voice filtered over the phone once more. " _ **We can wait until you've completed your mission,**_ " he assured her softly, " _ **if you need any help, don't hesitate to contact me, Laura; we may not have spoken in over a decade but I still consider us friends.**_ "

" _ **Me too, Charles,**_ " she assured him, " _ **I'll call if I need anything or to get someone to pick me up when my mission is done. Take care of yourself.**_ "

" _ **You too, Laura.**_ "

Laura pulled out the Bluetooth and shoved it back in her clutch before she groaned heavily.

This was going to be a long few weeks.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos and comments :)


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